Electrical unit and fastener member for the same



y 1938. w. H. CHURCHILL 2,118,665

ELECTRICAL UNIT AND FASTENER MEMBER FOR THE S AME Filed Jan. 29, 1936Patented May 24, 1938' UNITED STATES:

PATENT OFFICE ELECTRICAL AND FASTENER DIEMBER FOR. THE SAME ApplicationJanuary 29, 1936, Serial No. 61,433

7 Claims.

Fig. 2 is-a fragmentary section of the installation shown in Fig. 1showing the manner by which the fastener device is assembled with thecondenser covering;

Fig. 3 is a bottom' plan view of the installation shown in Fig. 1; I

Fig; 4 is'a. bottom plan viewof the condenser unit;

Fig. 5 is a view of the blank of the attaching member of my fastenerdevice;

Fig. 6 is a side view of the attaching member; Fig. 7 is abottom view ofthe attaching member; and

Fig. is a section showing a portion of the unit covering and my improvedfastener device before the parts are finally secured together.

The object. of my invention 'is to provide a simple and inexpensivefastening means for securing an electrical unit, such as a fixedcondenser, to a supporting panel of a radio set. It is understood,however, that I do not wish to limit my fastener to assembly with a unitof the class illustrated and described, because the fastener might beattached advantageously to many other article's in a way to cause thecomplete assembly to fall within the scope and spirit of my presentinvention.

Referring to the drawing, I have illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 a fixedcondenser of the type commonly used in a radio set having atubular-shaped outer covering l of cardboard or other relatively stiffmaterial. The covering I is open at at least one longitudinal end andthe material adjacent to the open end is bent at right angles to thestraight wall of the covering l and then is folded back upon itself whenthe parts of the unit are finally assembled together, as illustrated inFig. 2. The condenser is secured to a supporting panel 3 by means of myimproved fastener device, which will be hereinafter more fullydescribed, having one end inserted within the opening in the end of thecovering l and in clamped engagement with the bent portion 2 of thecovering material, and the other end presenting a series of yieldableportions extending through an aperture 4 of a supporting panel 3 andengagingthe material of the panel surrounding the aperture for attachingthe condenser unit to the panel.

A plate 5 of suitable insulating material is as-. sembled with thefastener device having an aper- 5 ture 6 therethrough permitting passageof a wire I through the unit for attachment with suitable electricalconnections within the set.

Referring in more detail to my fastener device, as illustrated in Figs.4-8, I have provided an eyelet member having a tubular shank 8 open atboth ends. The walls at one end of the shank 8 are flared outwardly, asat 9, and then terminated in an inwardly disposed portion l whereby theportions 9 and III willform abase flange enclosing a groove ll (Fig. 2).The insulating plate is seated within the groove II with one surface infinal attachment lying adjacent to the flared portion 9. I have employedthe plate 5, in my preferred form, because it is essential tosatisfactory working of the condenser due to the fact that it serves toprevent contact of the wire '|.with the metal parts of the fastenerdevice, but I do not with to limit my invention to the use of a plate,as illustrated and de-' scribed, because there are many installationswith which my fastener could be, employed advantageously which would notrequire any insulating means.

As a means of securing the electrical unit to the supporting panel, Ihave provided an attaching member, which is preferably stamped out of apiece of sheet metal, to form a blank of the shape illustrated in Fig.5. The blank, in my preferred form, presents a ring I! surrounding anaperture ll. Integral with the ring i2, and extending outwardly from theperiphery thereof, are series of projections l4 and I5, preferablyarranged alternately around the center of the ring II. The projections Hare shown substantially rectangular in shape and disposed around thering in a series of three. The projections 15 are preferably oftriangular form and provided with an aperture I6. The material of theprojections I5 has been pressed out adjacent to one end of the aperturel6 to form an outwardly disposed bump l'l (Fig.7) located at apredetermined distance from the eyelet flange in accordance with thethickness of the panel material to which the fastener is to be attached.The projections I5 have also been shown as disposed around the ring I!in a series of three, but it is understood that the number andarrangement of the projections I4 and [5 may be altered in some degreewithout interfering with the satisfactory operatil tion of the attachingmember. After the formation of the blank, the projections [l5 are bentdownwardly out of the plane of the ring and,

at the same time, bowed slightly so that they present a curvedcross-section (figs. 6 and 7).

The attaching member is secured to the eyelet part by first positioningthe projections M within the flange groove l l, and then bending theinwardly disposed portion [Iii so that the projec tions are clenchedbetween the insulating plate ti and the portion it), as best illustratedin Figs. 2 and 8. After the insulating plate and the attaching memberare finallysecured with the eyelet, the fastener device is complete andready for attachment to the part with which it is to be assembled, or,in the present case, with the condenser covering 6.

The method by which the fastener is attached to the covering l is mostclearly shown in Fig. 8, in which the covering 0 has its free end bentat right-angular relation to the longitudinal walls of the covering toform an inwardly extending portion l and then bent again to form anupwardly extending portion 2 in substantially parallel relationship tothe longitudinal walls. shank t of the eyelet is placed within thecircular opening at the end of the covering i so that the walls of theshank are either adjacent to, or in very close relation with theupwardly-extending portion 2. In the next step, the shank 8 or" theeyelet is struck with a suitable tool (not shown) so as to collapse itin a way to force the upwardlyextending portion 2 of the coveringadjacent to the portion i and, at the same time, clenching theadjacently disposed portions l and 2 between the material adjacent tothe free end of the shank 8 and the flared out portion 9 of the eyeletflange (Fig. 2). The fastener device is now securely assembled with thecondenser covering l, and the entire unit is ready to be attached to thepanel support 3.

During attachment of the condenser unit to the panel, the projectionsl5, extending downwardly beneath the unit, are entered into the aperture4 of the panel. The resiliency of the projections I5 is increasedslightly by the apertures l6, and as the projections are passed throughthe aperture 4, the curved exterior surface, in engagement with thewalls surrounding the aperture, will act as a cam to contract theprojections sufficiently to enable the bumps I! to be passed entirelythrough the aperture. After this action, the projections will expandtoward normal position and the exterior surface thereof will engage thewalls of the panel surrounding the aperture. The bumps I! will bear uponthe under surface of the material of the panel surrounding the aperture(Fig. 2) thereby preventing any upward axial movement of the unitrelative to the aperture. Axial downward movement of the unit relativeto the aperture isprevented by the base flange of the eyelet member,which is of larger diameter than the aperture and which, preferably,engages the upper surface of the material of the panel surrounding theaperture when the unit is attached to the panel. Thus it will be seenthat I have provided a very simple and inexpensive construction which isparticularly adapted to attach cartridge type condensers. This is ofgreat commercial value tothe radio set manufacturer because it savestime and space.

Although I have illustrated and described a preferred form of myinvention, I do not wish to be limited thereby, because the scope of myin- The tubular aiiaeee vention is best set forth in the followingclaims.

I claim:

1. An installation for an electrical or the like unit comprising, incombination, a relatively thin supporting structure having an aperturetherein, said unit having an outer covering of suitable material, afastener means secured directly to one end thereof, said fastenercomprising a metal eyelet in clenched engagement with said covering, anda plurality of independently yieldable portions extending from beneathsaid eyelet, said yieldable portions extending through said aperture andbearing on said supporting structure adjacent said aperture therebysecuring said unit to one side of said support.

2. An installation of an electrical or the like unit comprising, incombination, a relatively thin supporting structure having a circularaperture therethrough, said unit having a tubular-shaped outer coveringof cardboard or the like material, said covering having an opening atone of the longitudinal ends thereof, a fastener means mounted on saidopen end, said fastener comprising a metal eyelet and an attachingmember, said eyelet having a shank portion in clenched engagement withsaid covering, and a flanged base portion bearing against said supportadjacent to said aperture, said attaching member having a relativelyfiat plate assembled with said flanged base portion, and a series ofyieldable portions bent out of the plane of said plate, said yieldableportions extending through said aperture and bearing on said supportingstructure adjacent said aperture thereby securing said unit to one sideof said support, and said fastener having means preventing upward axialmovement of said unit relative tosaid aperture.

3. An installation for an electrical or the like unit comprising, incombination, a relatively thin supporting structure having an aperturetherein, said unit having an outer covering of cardboard or the likematerial, a fastener means mounted on one end thereof, said fastenercomprising a -metal eyelet having one end in clenched engagement withsaid covering, the other end bearing against said support adjacent tosaid aperture, an apertured plate of insulating material assembled withsaid other end, and a plurality of yieldable portions extending frombeneath said eyelet, said yieldable portions extending through saidaperture and bearing on said supporting structure adjacent said aperturethereby securing said unit to one side of said support.

4. An electrical or the like unit having a tubular-shaped outer coveringof relatively stiff material, an opening at one of the longitudinal endsof said covering, the material of said covering being folded under atsaid open-end, and a snap fastener unit secured to said open end, saidsnap fastener unit including an eyelet having a tubular portion, saidportion seated within said open end and in clenched engagement with thefolded under material of said covering whereby said fastener ispermanently secured to said covering, and said snap fastener unit havingsnap fastener means extending beyond the end of the covering forengagement with a suitable support.

5. A fastener for an electrical or the like unit comprising an eyeletmember, said member havprojections integral with the periphery thereof,said projections secured within said flange whereby said ring isattached to said eyelet, and a series of yieldableportions integral withsaid ring and positioned around the periphery thereof, said portionsextending downwardly from said ring for engagement with the materialsurrounding the aperture of a supporting structure, and said portionshaving projecting means preventing upward axial movement of saidfastener relative to said aperture.

6. A fastener for an electrical or the like unit comprising an eyeletmember, said member having a tubular shank, the walls of one end of saidshank adapted to be bent into fastening engagement with the walls of theunit to which the fastener is to be attached, the walls of said shankflaring outwardly adjacent to the other end and terminating in aninwardly disposed flange, an attaching member carried by said eyelet,said attaching member comprising a metal ring secured within saidflange, and a series of yieldable portions integral with said ring andextending downwardly therefrom for engagement with the walls surroundingan aperture of a supporting structure, each of said yieldable portionshaving an aperture therein, and a projecting means bent out of thematerial of each of said portions adjacent to said aperture forpreventing upward axial movement of said fastener relative to theaperture of said support. I

7. A fastener for an electrical or the like unit comprising a shankadapted to be secured in fastening engagement with the unit to which thefastener is to be attached and a series of yieldable portions extendingdownwardly from beneath said shank for engagement with the materialsurrounding the aperture of a supporting structure, said portions beingof a substantially triangular shape having a generally bow-shapedcross-section, each of said portions having an aperture therein and aprojecting means bent out of the material of said portion adjacent toone end of said aperture for preventing upward axial movement of saidfastener relative to the aperture of said support. I

WILMER. H. CHURCHILL.

